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Joe Thornton has seen a lot in his 23 NHL seasons, so he understands better than most just how special a year Auston Matthews is having. It s incredible, Thornton gushed. What he s doing right now, what he s on pace for, this doesn t come around very often. What he’s doing is exceptional.
Matthews has 39 goals, which is eight more than Edmonton s Connor McDavid, his closest pursuer. Over the past 30 years, only two players had a nine-or-more goal lead at the time of his 40th goal: Alex Ovechkin in 2013-14 and Jaromir Jagr in 1996-97. I just think he s turned a switch on, Thornton said. He s always had it in him, [it’s] just getting a couple more years under your belt. Every time he goes to play a game he expects to score and that s a good feeling to have. He s a confident guy and he s playing extremely well.